Days after Singh shook hands with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York, Mukherjee became the unlikely source of a stern message to Pakistan, saying "non-state actors do not come from heaven" but from territory under Islamabad's control.

The contrast in approaches becomes sharper in the context of the ongoing encounter against Pakistan-backed militants in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir, a battle that began even before Singh left for New York.

Mukherjee, who is on a four-day visit to Belgium, was being interviewed by Euronews when he emphatically dismissed Pakistan's oft-repeated excuse of 'non-state actors' being behind terror strikes in India.

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Mukherjee's interview was as much a chastisement of the government because the President is known to be stickler for protocol, and rarely speaks out of turn.

The President has, however, lately shown that he can shoot from the hip, as he did at his recent Bengal Chamber of Commerce speech, junking the prepared text to effectively set the record straight about his tenure as finance minister (see box).

He has once again exhibited a desire to speak his mind on issues that he feels strongly about.

Mukherjee's hawkish comments come at a time when Singh's eagerness to meet Sharif on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly is being widely perceived and criticized as soft.

Given that Pakistan is pushing terrorists into India and fomenting trouble along the Line of Control, Mukherjee said state-sponsored terrorism can never be accepted and demanded dismantling of terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

"Terrorist activities must be curbed. And state-sponsored terrorism can never be accepted. Therefore, repeatedly we are saying, please dismantle the terrorist outfits that are located in your area," he said.

President Pranab Mukherjee's (right) hawkish comments come at a time when Manmohan Singh's eagerness to meet Sharif on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly is being widely perceived and criticized as soft

The President said Pakistan had coined the words non-state actors for terrorists. "It may not be. But non-state actors, that is the phrase they used, then I responded by saying that nonstate actors are not coming from heaven," he said.

Mukherjee said Pakistan had promised in 2004 that it will not allow its territory to be used by forces inimical to India.

Emphasising that India does not have territorial ambitions, Mukherjee said that "in 1971 when Indira Gandhi was prime minister and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was prime minister of Pakistan, India entered into an agreement which is known as Shimla Agreement… ninety-one thousand imprisoned soldiers, prisoners of war, were returned".

"This was just to show the goodwill that in our basic foreign policy we do not have any territorial ambition, we do not have any ambition to export our ideology to any country or we do not have any commercial interests," he said.

Mukherjee stressed that India wanted good relations with neighbours.

"When I was foreign minister, more than often I used to say that I can change my friends if I like but I cannot change my neighbours if I like. I shall have to accept the neighbour the way he is," he said.

Making Mukherjee's comments even curiouser was their coming when Singh's stock has hit an all-time low after his government withdrew an ordinance on convicted lawmakers following public disapproval by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Another interesting facet is that media interviews of visiting Presidents are usually sanitised and dry in keeping with the ceremonial nature of such visits.

Mukherjee is known to be tough on Pakistan.

In his televised address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day, he said India's "patience has limits".

Singh's message was more conciliatory, reiterating that it is essential Pakistan prevents the use of its territory or territory under its control for any anti-India activity.

Mukherjee has been India's foreign minister, and was the defence minister who backed a tough approach to flush out Mumbai's 26/11 attackers.

In fact the Pakistani media then even ran stories on how a caller spoke to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari pretending to be Pranab Mukherjee and threatened him after the attacks.

President is praised by Advani for withdrawal of controversial ordinance

President Pranab Mukherjee earned praise from LK Advani for
withdrawal of the ordinance on convicted lawmakers, while Cong
vicepresident Rahul Gandhi came in for criticism on the same episode
that undermined authority of the PM.

"The victory that has come to the
country by withdrawal of this illegal and immoral ordinance has thus
been thanks only to the Rashtrapati," he posted in his blog.